Leap of Faith - The 56th Hunger Games
by jessicallons-y
Summary: 'The reward is in the risk.' Let the 56th Hunger Games begin!
1. The Lavish Life Part 1

_**Chapter 1**_

_~ Prologue ~_

* * *

Eight o' clock in the evening; rain poured relentlessly over the city. Gleaming black limousines drove through the President's Mansion, each vehicle hosting a Capitol celebrity or two. Men clad in black held umbrellas over their heads. As soon as a limousine would halt by the grand staircase, one of the suited men would rush to assist the guests, most of them dressed in vibrant colors with matching delicate headpieces and exotic makeup designs.

One of the vehicles had belonged to the famous duo, and the Capitol's power couple: Franco Creswell, the longstanding Head Gamemaker for the Annual Hunger Games, and his fiancé, Erizalda Morrison, the Victor of the Fifty-second Hunger Games who hailed from District Eight.

Another limousine hosted politicians Vinny Treshold, ex-Head Gamemaker and the President's right-hand man, and newly appointed Capitol official, Giovanna Coughlin. Behind the pair of representatives, a trio of ageing Victors arrived: Mason Higgins, Victor of the Eighth from District Two, Lexa Hoffman, Victor of the Third from District One, and their good friend from District Four, Mags Avion, Victor of the Ninth.

The last limousine was the most lavish of all. Its silver smooth exterior gleamed to perfection. Its plate read "_**PRSDNT**_" in solid gold lettering. All of the suited men in black bustled to make a line of umbrellas from the vehicle's door to the main entrance of the mansion.

Inside the entrance hall, the celebrities gushed elatedly as soon as they caught news of the President's arrival. The ladies sashayed around in their glittering floor-length gowns, and the men marched on their luxurious leather shoes. The guests smoothed their dresses and straightened their ties for the President's entrance.

The buffet tables set around the hall, although already presented with food, were still untouched. A pair of young eighteen year-old men in the corner just beside the last buffet table argued in hushed voices. The one who seemed to be winning the quarrel was taller than the other with tanned skin, curly jet-black hair and dark eyes glinting with mischief. His suit was dark emerald with a matching bowtie. He held an empty wine glass in one hand, and the other was clutching his friend's shoulder.

The other had lighter, shorter and straighter hair. His eyes were big, green and uncertain. He had a strong jaw, fair skin and a slim body. His pinstriped suit was a tad big for him, and beneath his left cuff, he wore an old battered watch.

As the argument drew on, their voices were slowly growing louder.

"Come on, Q, they won't notice a thing!" the taller of the two insisted. "You said just a _minute ago_ that you were hungry!"

"The President's not _here_ yet, Parker," Q shot back. "Those guys in the suits will run me over if they catch me!"

Parker rolled his eyes. "Well if you're pertaining to the _entire_ _male population_ in this mansion, then I suggest you get ready to be trampled on."

"What do you– Wha– Hey! Parker! Stop!"

The young male had already disappeared behind one of the buffet tables, and Q excruciatingly watched as a hand shot up and snatched a rib from the serving plate. Attempting to act nonchalant, Q turned away from the table, struggling to keep his face from twisting into sheer anxiety.

"Why's your face twitching?"

Q glowered at his friend, who had returned with a delicious, saucy rib and a napkin tucked around his neck.

"You're absolutely insane!" Q whispered frantically. "I _told_ you–"

"Oh, come on, Q, you're no fun," Parker laughed offhandedly, taking a monstrous bite of his rib and leaving smudges of sauce around his mouth.

The sudden applauding and cheering from the rest of the guests cut off Q's retort. Parker's rib slipped through his fingers after flinching in shock from the sudden noise. The string of swears that followed was drowned out by everybody's praise just as the President strode in the entrance hall with a middle-aged redheaded woman in a beautiful silver gown hanging by his arm.

Q yelped and kicked the rib away under an empty table just as the President marched pass their spot by the corner. Once he and the woman reached the bottom of his grand staircase, they spun around to face their guests.

President Friselbee swept his gaze over the entire room before speaking in a booming and powerful tone.

"Welcome!" he began. "I give my thanks to everybody here who accepted their invitation to our annual gathering before the season of the Hunger Games begins. I truly am grateful for your presence here. We are bound to see some new faces for this year's gathering, but I must personally introduce to you all, my younger sister, Eva Friselbee."

Just as the guests began to applaud, Eva spoke in a loud but shaky tone, so different from her brother's way of speech.

"Eva Hawkins, actually," she corrected. "No longer Friselbee. It's Hawkins."

The President's eyes flashed, but he did not comment. There were a few murmurs of gossip from the crowd, but most had resumed the applause, drowning out the insensitive few who were startled by the mention of her last name.

"Let the celebration begin!"

The chatter had resumed and live music began to play from a platform by the corner. A few couples instantaneously snagged places on the dance floor, and the buffet table was finally open to the guests, butlers manning their stations.

"Ah, finally!" Q said in delight, approaching the nearest serving plate, which held the pan-fried giant prawns.

"You're awfully slow," Parker, who just returned from loading his plate with more ribs, commented.

Q ignored him and let the butler fill his plate with the prawns.

"What do you think of that Hawkins woman?" Parker asked as soon as Q was back at his side with his own plate of food.

"Name's really familiar," Q said in thought, trying to remember where he had heard that name from in the past. He'd always had a very good memory that he was certainly proud of. Having difficulty when and where he had heard that name before was definitely a disappointment.

"You'd remember it if it were important, wouldn't you?" Parker shrugged, dropping the bone of the rib he just finished and picking up another one.

"That's the thing. I think it _is_ important." Q's plate of prawns lay untouched as he scrunched his brows together, thinking.

Parker's gaze quickly darted to Q's overflowing and uneaten plate of food before speaking again.

"You probably just can't get it because you haven't eaten a single thing."

Q looked up at him in surprise. "That is quite possibly the most intelligent statement you've said today, Parker. You're improving."

With a grimace, Parker wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, despite the napkin tucked into his collar, and proceeded to stick it on Q's cheek. The shorter one cried, slapping Parker's hand away. Sniggering, Parker continued to harass Q with his dirty hand and Q found it difficult to avoid his friend's advances while balancing a plate of prawns.

"And here are our latest Victors, President–"

Parker and Q instantly wrenched themselves free from each other at the sound of Franco Creswell's voice. Looking disheveled and sticky from rib sauce, they faced the Head Gamemaker and the President of Panem with matching looks of discomfort.

"How charming," President Friselbee commented, eyes roaming over them from top to bottom. His gaze then settled on Q who looked ready to wet his trousers. "Quentin Doge, am I correct?"

"Y–Yeah," Q stuttered. "I–I mean yeah, _sir_. Wait, I–I meant _yes, sir_."

Friselbee's eyes narrowed slightly as they pierced into Quentin's green ones. Suddenly a bulb lit at the top of his head. The answer was just at the tip of his tongue, and he let it slip at the last second.

"Desiree Hawkins," he mumbled out, feeling accomplished and proud that he managed to extract the name from his disorganized mind.

"_What was that?_" Friselbee suddenly snapped, eyes flashing with anger.

"N–Nothing, sir," Q hastily said.

"It better have been nothing, Doge," Friselbee threateningly said. Finally, his eyes left Q to address Parker, who gulped at the sudden attention. "Good day, Dunn. Perhaps you've found something worth doing in your life that doesn't include wrecking havoc in my city and taking advantage of your status as Victor?"

Parker's lips curled, but he managed to keep his mouth shut. He stared back into the President's eyes with equal amount of intensity before Friselbee finally sped away from the two youngest Victors. Franco Creswell awkwardly stood by them for a few more seconds before eventually deciding to catch up to the President.

"What was that?" Parker immediately asked as soon as they had gone. He looked more serious than he had ever been, the mischievous glint in his eye gone and his playful manner forgotten.

Quentin grabbed his arm and steered them both away from the crowd.

"Come on. I've got a story to tell you."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Why, hello there! To old readers, hi again I suppose. To the new ones, I better start over._

_My name's Jess. I make SYOTs. I can either be a pretty fast updater or an incredibly slow one. There is no in between._

_So yes, let's talk submissions then, shall we? Well everything you need to know is on my profile so just head on there if you're interested in submitting. Deadline of submissions is there too so get started! There's no rush really, you've literally still got two weeks. There also will be NO RESERVATIONS because this is open submissions. So anybody can keep submitting until the deadline._

_It also depends on the number of tributes I'll be receiving by the deadline, but there definitely may be rejections. I suppose just keep that in mind... Anyway I really hope you decide on submitting!_

_...and for the love of God **PM** me your submissions! None on reviews! That should really go without saying but eh, I had to mention it._

_Next chapter will be Prologue Part 2 with the final list of tributes and the blog link. So stay tuned! Good luck with submissions. :D_

_~jess_

_PS- This is another sequel for my last story (that isn't even in the Games yet but whatever, no spoilers here!), but it isn't necessary to read the first two at all. Everything will be revealed here in time anyway._


	2. The Lavish Life Part 2

_**Chapter 2**_

_~ Prologue ~_

* * *

The pair of young victors walked briskly through a dimly lit, red-carpeted hallway. The music from the party vibrated faintly through the paneled walls. Each doorknob Quentin would attempt to twist open was locked. Door after door, Q was slowly growing more aggravated.

Parker did not dare speak. Q was in his prime. Parker could almost see the gears twisting and turning in his head. His best friend managed to get through the arena only by using his wits. He'd never actually say it out loud, but he admired Q in a way. As uptight and submissive as he is, he was still probably more intelligent than half of the victors that came out of the Hunger Games alive.

Parker included, but again, he'd never mention that out loud.

The only unlocked door in the lavish hallway was the last on the left wall. Q did not need to twist the knob to check. It was slightly ajar, a narrow line of yellow light leaking from it. Q raised his palm to push the door open, but a sudden raised voice startled both victors. Parker immediately enclosed his fingers tightly around Q's wrist, pulling it further away from the varnished wood.

"You are completely delusional, Franco!"

Q squeaked, obviously matching the voice with a name the second he heard it. Parker's left hand shot up to cover his fellow victor's mouth, afterwards shooting him a seething look that clearly said _'Shut up!'_

"You're thinking into things too much!" Franco shot back. "I know what I'm doing. I've been in this business for years. Friselbee hasn't done anything ever since _that_ day."

"Hasn't done _anything_?" the other shrieked. "He just brought his sister to his pre-Hunger Games celebration, Franco! She was the mother of his niece whom he just _killed_. Why would he do something so risky like that? And not to mention the return of Vinny Treshold in the Office."

"Do you want the entirety of Panem to hear you?" Franco hissed hurriedly in a lower, more cautious tone. "There's _nothing_ going on. Vinny isn't out to get my job, and I trust Friselbee. If he wanted to kill me, he would have done it ages ago. He needs me for something, and I need him to keep my identity."

Parker's heard whirled with confusion. He could feel the anger building up inside of him, but he forced himself to remain calm. He suddenly remembered what Q was supposed to explain to him. Desiree was her name. The redheaded woman clinging on to Friselbee's arm was her mother. Parker could still remember the gunshot that echoed in his district from Town Square where everybody was required to watch the execution.

For a short while, there was silence. Parker and Q exchanged looks as they eagerly waited for more. Neither of them expected the door to be wrenched open so suddenly that they yelped at equal level of surprise and hastily flattened their backs on the opposite wall.

They found themselves face to face with a fellow victor. Her brown hair tumbled freely down her shoulders in perfect waves, and her eyes were wide with a mixture of shock and loathing. Her back was rigidly pin-straight and her gloved hands shook with fury.

"_What are you two doing here?_" the beautiful Erizelda Morrison hissed manically, attempting to keep her volume low and her voice from trembling.

"We didn't hear anything," Q blurted in panic.

The oldest victor growled in rage, roughly pulling them both inside the room. The first thing Parker noticed was how cramped it was. It was barely bigger than a regular bathroom in a regular household. A desk was cramped with an office chair by the far corner. There were stacks of gleaming black drawers on the opposite wall. Franco Creswell slouched beside an empty wooden bookshelf, opposite the corner of the desk.

"You didn't close the door," Erizelda snapped at him. The Head Gamemaker did not look all too interested in the arrival of the two unexpected guests.

"The way you brought me in here was similar to how you're handling those boys right now," Franco indifferently said, gesturing to her piercing grips on Parker and Q's arms. "I doubt they're exactly prioritizing privacy in their heads while your nails are drawing blood from their skin."

His fiancée shot him the dirtiest look possible. Franco sighed. "Let them go, Zelda. They're harmless."

Zelda huffed, but did what she was told. Parker and Q sighed in relief, massaging their arms as their blood began to circulate again. Although they were freed, Zelda hadn't given up on them just yet.

"You won't be ratting to the President, will you?" Zelda threateningly inquired, narrowing her eyes into slits.

"Were you two talking about Desiree?" Q ignored her question, giving her one of his own.

Franco curiously peered over the young victor. He stood straight, pushing himself from the wall and taking a few steps closer to Q. "You know about Desiree?"

"Who doesn't?" Q immediately answered, voice shaking ever so slightly but regaining the confidence it had when he asked Zelda a question.

"Most people wouldn't even bother to remember."

"But he remembers everything," Parker spoke up, quickly glancing at his friend. "Q, I mean. He remembers everything."

Q's cheeks lit crimson. His fingers fiddled awkwardly by his stomach.

"N–Not everything," he humbly attempted. "Just the important things."

"And to you, everything is important," Parker insisted. "You managed to remember some girl's name who died like, what, four years ago?"

Zelda seethed. "Are you saying Desiree's not important?"

Parker looked her in the eye. "She didn't really do much. She was only known as the President's niece, wasn't she? I doubt she did anything worth remembering except her very unfair death sentence."

Franco's eyes flashed. Parker had noticed, but his temper was rising too quickly for him to care that he dissing someone of authority.

"Watch your mouth, Dunn," Franco growled.

"Why should I?" Parker spat. "I have something to say. You're a stupid coward. You killed an innocent girl, and you won't even admit that it was your fault."

"Parker, please stop," Q whispered under his breath.

"You keep blaming it on the President. He made you do it. Well, fucking guess what, Creswell? You're selfish. You could have done something about it. Instead you succumb to being his lapdog and taking an innocent life."

"You went in the Hunger Games," Franco hissed, pressing his finger hard in Parker's chest. "You're just as bad as I am. You think making idiotic rebel groups and encouraging other victors to dis the Capitol out in the open is going to make you a better person?"

"At least I'm actually doing something!" Parker raised his tone aggressively. "I frankly don't care if I go to fucking jail! I've already been there! While I'm trying to get Friselbee out of here, you're sitting behind your desk, continuing to trust him even after he basically forced you to kill someone in front of the entire nation! How can you even say he hasn't done _anything_ since you killed Desiree Hawkins when he's been causing _everything_ that's happening now? He's giving out threats like they're Christmas presents! Q's family is going to die if he doesn't decide on whether he'll work for Friselbee or not by the end of this year's Games!"

"Parker!" Q finally found his own voice, stunning Parker to silence. "Please, that's enough. Can we just go?"

Parker lividly looked from Franco to his best friend. Grabbing Q's wrist, he roughly pushed past the Head Gamemaker and didn't even glance at Zelda Morrison. They exited the room and briskly walked down the hallway. Parker kept his head forward, refusing to look back. His head whirled with different expressions of rage. What kind of person was that man? How can he even convince himself that the President wasn't up to anything?

Q constantly shot him concerned looks, even as they joined the party again. From the corner of his eye, Parker could have sworn he saw Franco and Zelda amidst the crowd as well. He didn't regret anything. Parker rarely ever did. One of the many things that Parker knew for sure was that the President of Panem was always up to something, and the more silent he was, the more dangerous his plans were.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_I suppose you get more on Parker's personality on this one. He's definitely got a darker side. I also hope for the new readers, you get a gist on what happened woth the Desiree situation. It isn't clearly fully explained, but I think there are enough facts on this chapter alone._

_To everybody who submitted, thank you very much! I have to reject a few people, but with more than 24 tributes, it's inevitable. I chose the tributes that I feel will put a good twist in the story and I'll be able to have fun with. The blog link and final list of tributes are below._

* * *

_**Leap of Faith Blog: leapoffaith56. blogspot. com**_

* * *

**_Final Tribute List:_**

_District One_

_Male- Burgundy Platt, 17_

_Female- Armina Charelle, 18_

_District Two_

_Male- Jax Sandvig, 18_

_Female- Leandra Wales, 18_

_District Three_

_Male- Kane Harnet, 18_

_Female- Elise Chevalier, 14_

_District Four_

_Male- Carse Nerion, 18_

_Female- Araxie Dareia, 17_

_District Five_

_Male- Damon Warrens, 18_

_Female- Concordia Amell, 17_

_District Six_

_Male- Wattson Porter, 17_

_Female- Rhea Windsor, 16_

_District Seven_

_Male- Roey Pith, 17_

_Female- Kinsey Ranae, 18_

_District Eight_

_Male- Kendrick Dawes, 18_

_Female- Azalea Carden, 15_

_District Nine_

_Male- Shai Elliot, 15_

_Female- Lenora Harvot, 17_

_District Ten_

_Male- Cyrus Varrell, 18_

_Female- Peyton Alcott, 16_

_District Eleven_

_Male- Ren Zaman, 14_

_Female- Dormer Farn, 16_

_District Twelve_

_Male- Nathan Marcotte, 18_

_Female- Janus Herriot, 18_

* * *

_**Chapter Question!**_

_From the blog, based on judged and biased first impressions, who are you favorites and why?_

* * *

_Lots of older tributes this year. Anyway, have fun with the blog! No idea when I'll be updating with the reapings, but I do hope it'll be soon. Also reviews help a ton so I hope you'll be able to drop one by. :D_

_Btw, I'm still continuing on PMing everybody who submitted, so if you haven't received any PM yet, please be patient. :) Thanks again for your participation! So excited for this story._

_~jess_


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